Pictured: Tim Pendlebury (standing) and his family with (on the right) Larissa, her American husband Alex and dog Odetta
Poland-based Insight Vacations tour guide Tim Pendlebury has kept busy in March with his volunteer work, taking essential supplies to the Ukrainian border and bringing refugees to his home.
His online fundraiser for a Polish charity, which is helping Ukrainians as they cross the border into Poland, has now passed £9,600.
He launched the fundraiser shortly after the Russians began the war in late February, and took supplies to the border – returning with two members of a Ukrainian family he had met four years ago while tour guiding in Kraków.
Pendlebury has since continued with regular trips to the border, which is 300km away, taking further supplies, bringing more Ukrainian families to his home and helping them with onward journeys.
Currently he is hosting Katija and her three children – Dimitrou (13), Mark (eight) and Maria (eight months).
“She was absolutely distraught when the volunteers at the border introduced us. They will stay with us indefinitely, as long as they need,” he said.
Last week he hosted Larissa, her American husband Alex and dog Odetta, who then moved onwards to Katowice.
Another couple, Tetiana and Mykola, also stayed with him after they had travelled for two days to escape from Kyiv.
More: Insight Vacations tour guide rescues refugees at Ukraine border
Tetiana is a doctor of nano physics and the former head of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, while her husband Mykola designs and builds heating technology and power stations.
After staying with him, they moved on to Kraków before reuniting with their son in Cyprus.
The first two refugees Pendlebury had helped, Natalia and Darya, are settled in Poznan, close to the family’s other daughter, Alina.
He is also looking forward to resuming his tour guiding, with Insight Vacations’ Country Roads of Southern Italy & Sicily in mid-April, before his Eastern European trips restart in May.
Pendlebury again thanked all the friends, family, former Insight clients and colleagues who have been supporting his fundraising and trips to the border.
“It’s just awesome support for what’s happening in Ukraine. It all makes a difference,” he said.
His appeal is called ‘Helping Ukrainian women, children & elderly fleeing Putin’s aggression’ because he said “most Russians” are against the conflict, according to feedback from his colleagues in Russia.
His social media channels are on Instagram @travelling_insighttim; Facebook @InsightTim; YouTube, Once Upon A Time In Krakow; and Twitter @InsightTim.
